Kerala CM warns aided schools against appointing teachers by

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday warned the managements of aided schools in the state against appointment of teachers by providing inflated number of students and said the government can take over them, if needed.

Vijayan was responding to the reaction of some aided school managements to the suggestion made by the finance minister to regulate appointment of new teachers in such schools.

Finance minister T M Thomas Isaac had in his budget speech on February 7, said the Left government wants the school managements to stop misinterpreting the Kerala Education Rules (KER) and making appointments of new teachers.

"I saw certain reactions of some managements (of aided schools) on TV today, asking the government to take over the schools. If that was a threat issued to the government, then let me tell you, we are ready to take over.

If we can pay salary to the teachers there, why can't we give some rent and manage the school," Vijayan said.

He also said that the budget suggestion was a warning to those managements engaged in the practice of appointing teachers by providing inflated number of students.

In the state budget presented on February 7, Isaac had alloted Rs 19,130 crore for education in the state.

The finance minister also suggested that the appointment of teachers in aided schools be in accordance with the state rules and warned against the showing inflated number of students for new appointments.